My Morning Routine

I believe how you start your morning sets you up for how the rest of the day will go. We’ve all had those mornings that just don’t go well, and the rest of the day seems to follow its example. The mornings that go smoothly tend to lead to smoother days ahead.

Every morning, at least during the week, I follow a routine that sets me up for a successful (usually – things don’t always go according to plan…) rest of the day. Here’s my morning routine:

Wake Up

For the moment, I’ve dropped my 6AM workouts in favor of the 5:30/6:00 PM sessions at CrossFit. Olympic lifting is new to me, and I want/need the time to work on my technique. If I were to go in at 6AM, I would have to rush to get out in an hour. Once I feel more comfortable with the movements, I’ll likely revert to the morning crew.

On the mornings I need to shower, I’m out of bed at 6:30 AM. On the mornings I don’t, I give myself a few extra minutes and put my feet on the floor around 6:45 AM. Those fifteen extra minutes matter, am I right? Knox appreciates it, too. He’s so snuggly in the mornings.

Coffee & Journal

I schedule my coffee maker to brew at 7AM. By the time I make it into the kitchen, my coffee is ready to go. I pour a cup and sit down with my journal and devotional for some quiet time. I’m almost finished with Annie Down’s 100 Days To Brave and highly recommend it. If you have a devotional you love, please leave it in the comments – I’m going to need a new one in about two weeks!

For me, this is the key to my day. If I have to rush through journaling, or don’t get the chance to journal, I just feel off balance, and it tends to stay with me for the day. I use this time to pray, reflect, work through my thoughts, whatever I need. I find that my pen usually knows, even if I don’t.

I start each and every journal entry by listing three things I’m grateful for. Sometimes, I might list a few more. Practicing gratitude is essential to leading a happy life, and I’m diligent in making sure I start each day with a grateful heart. I also write out affirmations and tell myself “today is going to be amazing.”

Sounds a little hokey, doesn’t it? It might be. But, it works!

Breakfast

Once I’ve finished journaling, it’s breakfast time. I meal prep on Sundays, so breakfast is usually at least partially ready to go. I cook anything that needs cooking, then settle down with my food and laptop. I use the few minutes I have before I need to get ready for work to write blog posts, send emails, work on writing projects, whatever I feel like doing at that point.

I also share a few bites of my breakfast with Knox. He’s cute. He gets a bite or two of eggs and bacon.

One other thing I always do in the morning? Watch Today. I’ve watched Today literally my entire life. My mom and grandma have always watched it. I don’t remember it not being on while I ate breakfast. It’s one of those weird comfort things. I feel like Hoda, Savannah, Al, Carson, Dylan, etc., are old friends. Even if I’m traveling (at least domestically), I watch Today. Even in a hotel room, Today is there.

Hair, Makeup, & Wardrobe

My new job requires a little more effort than my previous one, so I spend a little more time on hair and makeup. And you know what? I kind of like it. WorldStrides was casual, and wearing jeans to work was great, but it’s been fun to get a little more dressed up each morning. I’m getting braver and more confident with my hair and makeup choices, so it’s been fun to experiment and try new things. I also like feeling polished when I put on the day’s outfit.

The catch? I have very little business casual clothing. I picked up a dress from J.Crew and another from Target over the last week, but I definitely need almost an entirely new spring wardrobe (shucks). To that end, I made a personal styling appointment with Nordstrom on Friday. It’s a free service, and now that I have a Nordstrom 5 minutes from me instead of 2 hours away, I’m looking forward to trying it.

Time To Go

Knox usually uses his puppy pads in the morning, but if he hasn’t, I take him out for a quick walk. Then, I pour a to-go cup of coffee, add my lunch (packed the night before) to my bag (also packed the night before), give Knox a treat to settle him into my bedroom for the day, and it’s off to work.

I suppose it’s a pretty straightforward morning routine, but it has made my mornings flow much smoother. I’m about simplifying my life, and a structured morning has helped me do that. The journaling helps me center myself and focus on the day ahead, and, as they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s certainly my favorite.

What does your morning routine look like? Is it slow? Rushed? Do you sit down to breakfast? Eat on the go? Tell me in the comments!

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Comments

I’m super jealous of your morning routine. It is so much more relaxing than mine. Mine is extremely precise and slightly rushed. It takes me about 45 minutes to get to work, so unless I get up at 5:30 I don’t a lot of time. I get up about 6:45, let the dogs out, feed them while I take a bath, make my coffee, get dressed, let them out again, run the vacuum (I do this every day except Monday because I am a freak), leave the house around 7:30 and then I eat my breakfast on the way to work. I want to try to get up earlier and start exercising a few mornings, since it also takes me 45 (+) minutes to get home and I don’t get home until about 6:20, but just thinking about it kind of stresses me out.